It was with great pleasure that I was looking forward to reviewing "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night - Time at the Village Theatre Everett. As some may know, due to some health issues, I had to postpone or cancel coverage of many shows in March and April. Thankfully I am nearly back to full strength and this show was the first - post health concerns - that I would be reviewing, and only my second show at the Village Theatre Everett.

I went into the show not knowing much about it. I knew it was based on a book and it centered on a fifteen year old boy and the murder of a dog. That was it. Now that I've seen it, I'm glad I didn't know more than that going in.

The show was a broad mix of contemporary presentation, neurodiverse sensitivity, and long standing theatre traditions.

Christopher - expertly played by Michael Krenning - is a teenager who sees the world differently. As the play develops it becomes clear that Christopher is neurodiverse (residing on the Autism spectrum). His father and mother have split up and one of Christopher's teachers is the only person who "gets" him. There is the case of the murdered dog but that is really more of an aside to the bigger picture.

As always I don't like to give too many plot details away, preferring the reader see the show for themselves.

I can honestly say I have not seen a show like this before. The lighting and scenic design were spectacular. They were somewhat reminiscent of the Seattle Opera's recent "R-evolution Of Steve Jobs" where technology, light, sound, and visuals were all carefully put together to elevate the show to another level.

As I stated earlier Michael Krenning was a marvel to behold. So much in character, so giving in his performance, one couldn't help but be drawn into his characters unique way of seeing the world.

James D. Sasser as Christopher's father Ed and Kathryn Van Meter as his mom Judy were also strong counterparts in Christopher's world. Their acting helped move the story along and to help create the all too common issues (such as impatience) when raising a child on the spectrum.

Jehan Osanylin as Siobhan was superb as Christopher's teacher. They became the voice, maybe even the conscious, of Christopher for the audience to further understand how Christopher saw the world.

The author of the book Mark Haddon has stated he never intended for Christopher to be a neurodiverse character. Moreso a character that saw the world differently, much like a large portion of the population does but is often ridiculed for it. He has also stated that he is not an expert on neurodiversity but revels in the fact that his book has opened the discussion around the world to such complex and much needed talks.

In the end, "The Curious Incident Of the Dog In The Night- Time" (taken from a Sherlock Holmes novel for those who are wondering) is not really about the killing of a dog. It is about how one young man sees the world in a unique way and how his family and the people he encounters learn more about themselves because of it.

This is something we all can learn from.

The show was confusing at first but heartwarming and food for thought by end of the second act. A wonderful production with no weak links whatsoever. "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night - Time" will have you reevaluating how you look at the world and how you judge others before taking the time to understand their point of view.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber’s high-octane Broadway and West End hit School of Rock – The Musical is coming to Seattle’s Paramount Theatre from May 14 - 19.

Tickets are available on-line at STGPresents.org, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-982-2787 or in person at The Paramount Theatre Box Office (Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm).

School of Rock – The Musical is based on the smash hit 2003 film of the same name, featuring music from the movie, as well as an original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, a book by Julian Fellowes, choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter and direction by Laurence Connor.

School of Rock – The Musical opened on Broadway to rave reviews on Sunday, December 6, 2015. This Ben Brantley New York Times ‘Critics’ Pick’ “is an inspiring jolt of energy and mad skillz,” raves Jesse Oxfeld of Entertainment Weekly. And in his four-star Critics’ Pick review, Time Out’s David Cote proclaimed, “School’s IN – forever!” School of Rock – The Musical was nominated for four 2016 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Lloyd Webber and Slater), Best Book (Fellowes), and Best Leading Actor in a Musical (Alex Brightman). School of Rock – The Musical also won the 2017 Oliver award for Outstanding Achievement in Music.

Based on the hit film, School of Rock – The Musical is a hilarious new musical that follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. While teaching these pintsized prodigies what it means to truly rock, Dewey falls for the school’s beautiful, but uptight headmistress, helping her rediscover the wild child within.

School of Rock – The Musical will be at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre for only eight performances. The schedule for the Seattle engagement is:

*For tickets to these performances, call the TTY line at 888-331-6774.

Tickets start at $35 and are available on-line at STGPresents.org, Ticketmaster.com, by calling

1-800-982-2787 or in person at The Paramount Theatre Box Office (Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm).

School of Rock – The Musical is part of the 2018/2019 KeyBank Broadway at The Paramount series, presented by Seattle Theatre Group, with support for the ninth year from KeyBank as the series title sponsor. Brotherton Cadillac is the official auto sponsor, The Hotel Theodore is the official sponsor hotel and Delta Airlines is the official airline sponsor of KeyBank Broadway at The Paramount.

School of Rock – The Musical features scenic and costume design by Anna Louizos, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Mick Potter and music supervision by John Rigby.

School of Rock — The Musical is produced on Broadway by Andrew Lloyd Webber for The Really Useful Group, Warner Music Group &Access Industries, The Shubert Organization and The Nederlander Organization. Nina Lannan and Madeleine Lloyd Webber serve as Executive Producers.

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About STG: Seattle Theatre Group is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization that owns and operates the historic Paramount Theatre and operates the Moore and Neptune Theatres in Seattle, Washington. Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region’s cultural identity while keeping these landmark venues alive and vibrant. STG presents a variety of shows from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and Jazz to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows – at all these historic theatres in Seattle and at venues throughout Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.

As we approach a year of arts expansion coverage at Eclectic Arts, it is satisfying to say that we have learned so much in that time. We are looking forward to delving into even more coverage in the coming months.

"The Addams Family - A New Musical" opened this past weekend at the Edmonds Driftwood Players. Based on the loveable dark characters created by Charles Addams, I was ready to be carried away to the black humor and song of The Addams Family.

The staging was ambitious and set the tone for the show. A two-story set that reminded me of the inside of a dark castle, everything looked great.

Being a musical, there were going to be several songs in the show - make that many songs in the show. Doug Knoop as Gomez, Tamara Davis as Morticia, Megan Acuna as Wednesday, and Catherine Craig as Pugsley rounded out the immediate Addams Family cast members. Add in Jenny Price as Grandma, Jacob Livingston as Lurch, and Richard Wright as Fester, and you had quite a cast of Addams Family characters.

Doug Knoop as Gomez and Jacob Livingston as Lurch. Photo: Dale Sutton

There were also "normal" characters, which included David Naber as Lucas, Jeff Strom as Mal, and Hayley Baudrau Gaarde as Alice.

As if that weren't enough, there were also the Addams Family ancestors, which added up to ten different ghostly ancestors.

As always I tend to leave the plot details to the audience member so they can see the show as fresh as possible. In a simplistic way the show is about how Gomez and Morticia's daughter Wednesday is in love with a "normal" boy Lucas. The fall-out of such a relationship then creates comedy, drama, and other assorted storylines and emotions.

I have found that the various theatre companies in the area bring different things to the table. I can only compare it to seeing a minor league baseball game VS a major league one. Depending on what level of minor league game you see (rookie, short A, low or high A, double A, or triple A), the level of talent and sportsmanship will vary greatly. The theatre companies are similar.

I found with this show the talent varied greatly, which is to be expected I've learned. And with a musical it can vary even greater as you may have cast members who's strength is music moreso than acting and vice versa. Of course there are also some that excel in both areas.

I enjoyed Doug Knoop's Gomez. He was cavalier, dashing, and sly. Doting on his bride most of the time, I felt Mr. Knoop captured the spirit of Gomez Addams.

Megan Acuna stood out whenever she had a scene. Her acting showed depth and her voice really made me take notice. I understand she is new to the Seattle area. Here's hoping she is cast in more productions, as she is a talent I would love to see and hear more from.

Megan Acuna as Wednesday. Photo: Doug Sutton

I really liked Uncle Fester as portrayed by Richard Wright. His comedic timing was strong and he made Fester loveable and quirky in slight and wonderful ways.

Jacob Livingston was the pleasant surprise as Lurch at the end of the show. I won't ruin it for you dear readers but let's just say he can do more than utter noises.

The normalcy with a slight bent that David Naber brought to Lucas was also well done. His acting and voice work showed the training and experience of an actor that is on his way up.

Jenny Price as grandma Addams (or is she) was priceless. She made everything she did look easy.

Without going through every single actor, let me say that Hayley Baudrau Gaarde's voice was spectacular, Jeff Strom's acting showed veteran leadership, Tamara Davis looked and for the most part acted the part of Morticia. I would have loved a bit more of the sexy vamp side of the character, both in acting and voice, but she worked well with Doug Knoop's Gomez. Catherine Craig pulled off a devilishly good Pugsley - no mean feat considering she was the youngest member on the stage.

The ancestors reminded me of something out of "The Frighteners" or even "Thriller". The amount of choreography and song was definitely noticeable throughout the show. Not just for the ancestors but for all the characters. I can only imagine how long rehearsals were to pull this show off. Not to mention the band as well. Whew! A ton of work!

Overall, the show was fun. It was a bit long considering the simple plot device but it was still enjoyable. The show runs through May 5th and is a perfect vehicle for families, "normal" and strange alike!

There is always something that strikes me that changes the course of my interest in any given art form. This is now my fifth Pacific Northwest Ballet event that I've covered for Eclectic Arts. While I won't divulge in this review what that one "something" was that changed my interest from curious to fanatical (look for that in a future article), I will say that I was so looking forward to the performance on Friday evening.

The more I watch, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I want to watch.

As per usual I won't go into the plot details very much as I would rather the reader attend a performance for themselves, the story was divided into six scenes and two acts.

Act I set the stage with Titania (Laura Tisserand), Oberon (Kyle Davis), and the mischievous Puck (Jonathan Porretta), the staging (Francia Russell) and scenic and costume design (Martin Pakledinaz) certainly brought the audience back to Athens on a Midsummer's eve. I found there to be small similarities between this production and the perennial powerhouse, "The Nutcracker". Certainly the involvement of the PNB School of young dancers as well as the Professional Division teens helped in that regard. It's such a rarity where you get to see the younger and newer talent work with the highly skilled and trained professional talent in any realm. What a magnificent way for the younger students to learn from their professional counterparts by rehearsing and performing with them. Bugs (that's what I call them) and fairies abound as the story unfolded. The story is light and whimsical for the most part, which also lends itself to that comparison to the holiday favorite.

Jonathan Porretta was his veteran self as Puck. Captivating, humorous, and a joy to watch, Jonathan brought every ounce of character to Puck as he possibly could. Laura Tisserand danced like she had performed this piece a thousand times over. Fluid, graceful, with arm and hand movement that accented her performance, she was in the role for a very good reason. Of course Kyle Davis made his performance look easy, that's what the best professionals do. And Kyle made the role of Oberon look like anyone could do it - which is a testament to his amazing performance.

As Act I continued, the ever-lovable character of Bottom (played expertly Friday night by Ezra Thomson) got his moment in the spotlight as Titania awakes, completely captivated by him, regardless of the donkey he has become. Ezra made the audience laugh, smile, and moved the story along at exactly the right pace. Considering he had a full donkey head on, that was no mean feat. It was all through gestures, movement, timing, and dance.

Act II showcased many different dancers from the company. Lesley Rausch and Jerome Tisserand were the focal point with their exquisite partnered performance. There were times when Lesley's dance movement seemed to be not of this earth. Truly. As if she were floating across the stage like an apparition, she is a principal that the core PNB subscribers have loved for years and it was in plain evidence on Friday evening.

Again, the second act reminded me a little of the set up of "The Nutcracker" where the different characters/dancers took a turn to showcase their skills during any given number.

The performance contained numerous dance pieces as the story eventually ended with Puck.

The scenery was captivating and worked so well with the performances throughout the show. The music (both instrumental and choral) was fantastic. The addition of both soprano and mezzo-soprano parts added an extra bit of artistry to the event.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" was extremely satisfying. A production that families could enjoy together, it was incredibly well done. Also, considering the time between the last production and this one was short, it's that much more incredible that the company produced such a show of staggering quality in such a short time.

I keep saying it but I'll say it again - if you only visit McCaw Hall once a year (during late November through December), you're missing out on some world-class ballet the other months out of the year. This production in particular would be a great follow up show to see if you've never seen anything other than, "The Nutcracker".

The amount of time, training, sacrifice, and dedication the Pacific Northwest Ballet company devote to their craft is unbelievable. What they produce on a consistent basis is astounding. Attend a performance and see for yourself. We are spoiled living here in Seattle with a ballet company of this stature right in our backyard. Don't take it for granted. Trust me, I used to. Not anymore. I am immersing myself deeper and deeper into the world of ballet and, thanks to the Pacific Northwest Ballet, it's been nothing but a sheer pleasure.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Alicia Witt has played her piano-driven rock all over the world for the past 10 years, including opening for Ben Folds Five, John Fullbright and Jimmy Webb. Her most recent release, 15,000 Days, was produced by Grammy winner Jacquire King (Kings of Leon; Norah Jones; James Bay, etc).

Also known for her decades-long career as a prolific TV/film actress (recently TWD; ABC's Nashville, the upcoming final season of Orange Is The New Black on Netflix) , her music has been featured in numerous TV and films including several Hallmark Christmas movies, in which she also stars.

A classically trained former competitive pianist, Alicia's music has been described as 'sharply personal, boldly melodic pop originals in the Carole King/Billy Joel vein' and 'snappy, resilient, emancipated-woman anthems and touching lost-and-found love ballads' (Philadelphia Inquirer).

'A gifted musician' - NPR's Scott Simon

'Her melodic and buoyant sound harkens back to the works of Elton John, Billy Joel and Carole King' - POPMATTERS

'...sounds by turns like Grey Seal era Elton John, an alt-universe Fiona Apple, and a film noir chanteuse notching her nights in cigarette burns on the fallboard' - NASHVILLE SCENE

My love of music goes back to my childhood. It is the foundation of Eclectic Arts as well. So, whenever there is a music based theatre production, you can bet I will at least be interested, if not excited, about reviewing said show.

"Always…Patsy Cline" was already intriguing to me solely based on the subject matter. Once I discovered there was a full backing band for the show, I was even more intrigued. So, last Saturday I attended the second to last performance before the show closed at the Isaac Studio at the Taproot Theatre.

Cayman Ilika as Patsy Cline and Kate Jaeger as Louise Seger are the duo that have wowed audiences with this show in earlier incarnations and absolutely mesmerized audiences last weekend.

The Bodacious Bobcats Band started off the show featuring Claire Marx (piano/conductor), Olivia D. Hamilton (upright bass), Jesse Whitford (percussion), Justin S. Davis (electric guitar), and Dave Harmonson (pedal steel). Their introductory music was so tight, I knew I was in for a good afternoon. The band members showcased great musicianship all around - there were no weak links.

"Always…Patsy Cline" centers around a fan, Louise Seger, that loved Patsy Cline's music. She befriended Patsy at a local show and the two became like-minded friends. The show is based on a true story.

All throughout the show, Cayman Ilika sang over twenty-five Patsy Cline tunes while Kate Jaeger told the story through dialogue, backup singing, and comedy. Cayman has a wonderful voice - and it made it a sheer pleasure listening to her renditions of Patsy Cline classic songs. The chemistry between Cayman and Kate was as perfect as could be. The comedic timing of Kate was spot on and the show just seemed to whiz by - making me wish there was another hour left of the show when it was over.

We were told that one of the cast members was under the weather. Who that was remains a mystery as I couldn't tell from the performances Saturday afternoon. The show worked on every level. I only wish I could see it again. It was that good!

The world lost Patsy Cline in an airplane accident much too early. She left behind a catalog of music that still stands to this day. When your art still resonates with an audience decades later, you've truly passed the ultimate test - the test of time.

Special Thanks: Isaiah for the credentials - thank you so much for the opportunity! Hopefully my schedule and medical issues are behind me now. I'm looking forward to the next show at the Taproot Theatre.

Thursday, April 4, 2019

SEATTLE, WA – The 2019/2020 Broadway at The Paramount season brings another year of extraordinary entertainment to The Paramount Theatre, with a schedule full of classic, familiar titles and brand-new shows including hit musicals direct from Broadway. Subscription renewals go on sale April 2 at 10am and new subscriptions will be available in June.

The season kicks off with a Season Option, Broadway’s razzle-dazzle smash hit CHICAGO. In the Fall, the acclaimed new production of the legendary musical MISS SAIGON comes to Seattle, followed by THE HARD NUT, a Mark Morris retelling of The Nutcracker set in the giddy 1970s.

The season continues with SUMMER: THE DONNA SUMMER MUSICAL, the inspiring story behind the music and life of the legendary singer. This is followed by a fresh and authentic presentation of the beloved theatrical masterpiece, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.

From the producers of The Lion King and Aladdin, Disney’s FROZEN, the Tony nominated Best Musical arrives in February. Heralded by The New Yorker as “thrilling” and “genuinely moving” FROZEN quickly emerged as the biggest musical hit of last year’s Broadway season. This engagement will also feature a Sensory Friendly Performance on February 22, 2020.

We move in to Spring with an uproarious show that took New York by storm, THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, a classic murder mystery chock-full of mishaps and madcap mania that is sure to entertain.

THE BOOK OF MORMON returns to Seattle by popular demand for a limited engagement as a Season Option.

In early Summer, ANASTASIA, the romantic and adventure-filled new musical inspired by two beloved films, makes its way to Seattle. Then the subscription season rounds out with MEAN GIRLS, the hilarious hit new musical coming direct from Broadway, featuring an award-winning creative team including the incomparable Tina Fey.

Group tickets of 10 or more are available now for all shows. Please call the Group Sales department for more information 1.888.214.6856 or email Groups@BroadwayatTheParamount.com.

Single tickets for each engagement will go on sale at a later date. Watch www.STGPresents.org for single ticket on-sale dates or sign up for the eClub at www.STGPresents.org/Broadway to stay up to date with all of the latest news and on-sale dates.

The 2019/2020 Broadway at The Paramount series is presented by Seattle Theatre Group, with support from Brotherton Cadillac as the official auto sponsor, The Hotel Theodore as the official sponsor hotel and Delta Airlines as the official airline sponsor.

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About STG: Seattle Theatre Group is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization that owns and operates the historic Paramount Theatre and operates the Moore and Neptune Theatres in Seattle, Washington. Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region’s cultural identity while keeping these landmark venues alive and vibrant. STG presents a variety of shows from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and Jazz to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows – at all these historic theatres in Seattle and at venues throughout Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.